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A black‑and‑white portrait photograph of a person wearing large round glasses, a collared shirt, and a leather jacket rests on top of an aged folder with a string‑tie closure, placed on a wooden surface.

I wrote a letter to the world's most famous terrorist – and nothing could have prepared me for his reply. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of a bearded man with glasses, set against a background of mysterious handwritten script.

Are the secrets of the Middle Ages' most mysterious manuscript hiding in plain sight?

An illustration showing an American eagle and a colourful parrot fighting over a small tree branch. The parrot sits on a larger branch while the eagle is in mid air

Maduro, Castro and the War on Drugs: Latin America's troubled ties with the US. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Painting of King Henry VIII on horseback in ornate clothing surrounded by attendants and soldiers.

Was this the moment Henry VIII became a tyrant?

Episode 3Did the Industrial Revolution make life better – or worse?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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History crossword20 March. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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General History

Can you solve our history crossword of the week?20 March

General History

Quiz of the weekWhen was Elizabeth I born?

A detailed engraving shows William Shakespeare with wavy shoulder‑length hair, a mustache and trimmed beard, and an earring in his left ear. He wears a collared shirt and a textured doublet with decorative trim, set against a softly shaded background.

"Let the sky rain potatoes!": the hidden meanings behind Shakespeare's food obsession. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Medieval illustration of a farmer harvesting carrots with a hoe in a garden.

“Check your husband’s dunghill” – here’s why medieval society was obsessed with poo

The relentless rise of the mafia. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 3Rich diets and dangerous habits | Food, fashion and festivals in Tudor England. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Harriet Martineau: life of the week. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A woman in early 20th‑century clothing sits at a desk using a candlestick telephone, holding the receiver to her ear and speaking into the mouthpiece

Ringing the changes: how the telephone transformed Victorian Britain. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Sores, sweat and secretions: the pox in early modern London. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A collage featuring portraits of several historical figures linked to infamous crimes, including a Victorian woman at the center, a mustached man in period clothing, a Renaissance-era woman in ornate dress, and another older figure in a hat. Behind them are a chalk-style body outline on a blue textured background and an old multi‑story building with arched windows

History's most notorious crime scenes: from Lizzie Borden's lair to HH Holmes's 'murder castle'. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A military pilot seated inside an aircraft with a Nato emblem overlaid across the image.

Nato is in crisis. Can history predict what happens next?

Black-and-white portrait of a Vladimir Lenin.

Why does Putin blame this infamous Russian revolutionary for Ukraine’s independence?

Illustration of the last Anglo-Saxon king, Harold Godwinson, crowned and holding a scepter and orb, with scenes from the Bayeux Tapestry in the background.

One of medieval history’s biggest mysteries has just been solved – and it rewrites 1066

An older man wearing round glasses, a bow tie, and an academic-style robe stands behind a cluster of microphones, delivering a public speech

Churchill vs Stalin: did this one speech cause the Cold War?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I in an ornate gown with elaborate headdress, ruffled collar, and symbolic decorations.

Elizabeth I | Podcast series

Episode 4Was Elizabeth I's reign really a 'golden age'?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Episode 3Elizabeth’s enemies: plots, rivals and the Spanish Armada. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

A composite image showing Iron Age stone work against a green landscape.

For decades, this prehistoric grave was a mystery. Have its dark secrets now been revealed?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Inside Hever Castle: explore Anne Boleyn’s childhood home. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

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History crossword13 March. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Britain and the looted African gold. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

Portrait of Queen Elizabeth I in an ornate gown with elaborate headdress, ruffled collar, and symbolic decorations.

What did Elizabeth I really think about Anne Boleyn? These secret symbols might unlock the truth

The devastating Jewish revolt against the Roman empire. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.

What was daily life REALLY like in Tudor England?. This is a premium piece of content available to subscribed users.